Category Archives: State of the team

Worried? This is just how the Hawks do it

at-new-orleans-logoAs it turns out, Seattle’s offensive problems are not limited merely to their matchups with good defenses. Even the lowly Saints managed to keep the Seahawks to one measly touchdown in a game Seattle really should have won.

Once again, the Hawks put themselves in too many second-and-longs, killing drives. They completed one drive for a touchdown, needing a cool trick play to pull it off, but otherwise had issues with penalties, some bad decisions by Russell Wilson and poor run blocking.

If that all sounds familiar, it’s very similar to what the Seahawks have done the last three years. As usual, their offense is playing poorly at midseason. As usual, they are committing lots of penalties and their opponents are not being called for many. As usual, they are underachieving as we approach the second half.

It’s simply Pete Carroll’s oddball formula for success.

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Offense is standing in way of No. 1 seed

at-new-orleans-logoThe Seahawks put up 90 points in a three-game winning streak that had many thinking they had finally turned it on after tallying just 15 points in a tough first couple of games.

But then along came Arizona’s defense, clamping down on the Hawks the way Miami and Los Angeles did and showing everyone that Seattle still isn’t good enough to beat teams with excellent defensive fronts — no matter how great its own defense plays.

The defense has given up just 15 points to the Rams and Cardinals, but the Hawks are 0-1-1 in those games because their offensive line just hasn’t been good enough. The result: The Hawks scored just nine points vs. those division rivals and are the NFL’s fifth-worst scoring offense, averaging just 18.5 points. They’ve never finished worse than 10th (24.6 ppg in 2014) with Russell Wilson.

The good news is they still have 10 games to straighten it out — and they get a much better matchup this weekend against the Saints’ 32nd-ranked scoring defense (32.5 ppg).

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Wilson is becoming a legendary tough guy

at-new-orleans-logoIn 2011, Tarvaris Jackson earned major props in the Seahawks’ locker room by playing through a pectoral injury for most of the season.

Imagine the locker room cred Russell Wilson is putting together this year, playing through a high ankle sprain that should have sidelined him for several weeks, along with a sprained knee that he said was supposed to keep him out at least four weeks and now his own chest injury.

Has anyone ever won Comeback Player of the Year the same season he was injured? Wilson, showing more resilience than a regenerating five-headed hydra, certainly has been the Seahawks’ No. 1 Tough Guy.

Wilson was listed as limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday — the first time that has ever happened. But there should be no concern about him missing the game in New Orleans this Sunday — or about him playing well there.

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Hawks will hope Fant can turn into the next Jason Peters

at-arizona-logoWhile many fans are calling loudly for the Seahawks to buy an expensive cup o’ Joe to jolt their left tackle spot, the simple fact is the Seahawks chose to go decaffeinated on the offensive line, and they are very unlikely to brew a new pot now.

In other words, don’t expect them to mess up their 2017 salary cap and draft by trading for Joe Thomas or Joe Staley.

Instead, expect them to see whether undrafted rookie George Fant can become the next Jason Peters — now. It took Peters, also an undrafted college tight end, three years to become a standout left tackle in the NFL. The Seahawks would settle for half the accomplishment in a third the time.

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Breaking down the offense’s breakdowns

at-arizona-logoThe Seahawks’ defense has played stellar football almost all season — and it put together its greatest performance yet Sunday night in Arizona.

It was the third straight year in Glendale that the Seahawks gave up just six points. But, thanks to an almost totally inept offense, they were not able to put together the same 35-6 and 36-6 thrashings of the past two years — instead ending up with the first tie in team history and the lowest-scoring tie since 1972.

The offense has been directly responsible for all one and a half losses this season — with two of the worst performances since Russell Wilson arrived in 2012.

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McDaniel has been ‘the quiet MVP of our defense’

at-arizona-logoCoincidence or not? Tony McDaniel comes to Seattle in 2013 and the Hawks win the Super Bowl in his first year and put themselves in position to win in his second year.

Then he gets cut — and the Hawks fail to make their third straight Super Bowl.

OK, so it probably is mostly coincidence. But, then again, maybe he is the Super Bowl lucky charm.

Either way, there is no denying the unsung impact he has had on the Seahawks’ top-ranked defense this season — despite being a last-minute re-addition.

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Theme of the week: Experience matters

atlanta-logoPete Carroll spent a lot of his Monday press conference explaining Richard Sherman’s outburst during Seattle’s 26-24 win over Atlanta and breaking down the injury situation, but he offered some good analysis of his 4-1 football team as well.

Among the big points he made: Experience matters, and they missed Kam Chancellor; Kelcie McCray handled the criticism like a pro; Germain Ifedi had a rough game as he makes up for missed time; the pass protection is strong because of Russell Wilson’s development; and the running game just didn’t get the chances vs. Atlanta because the Seahawks had to rally in the fourth quarter.

Carroll said the 36-yard touchdown by Julio Jones that set Sherman off was a result of “just not being on the same page.”

“What was clear to me is that Kam is a big factor,” Carroll said. “We don’t see that stuff; I can’t remember another game when Kam was playing (where that happened). He has such a connection and skills at communicating and all that.

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Throwback Sherman gives drama queens plenty to gossip about

atlanta-logo“U mad, bro?”

That was one question no one needed to ask Richard Sherman on Sunday, when he brought back his 2012-13 incarnation with a tantrum that had everything but Tom Brady and Erin Andrews.

Outside of using his fame to make money and social statements and rip the NFL, Sherman had been pretty quiet ever since getting paid in 2014 and then having a baby last year. But he gave us all a little Retro Richard on Sunday, conjuring memories of his attention-seeking days as he put himself in the middle of two controversies in Seattle’s nail-biting win over the feisty Falcons.

His big sideline explosion – a hair-on-fire reminder of his blowup to Andrews after the 2013 NFC title game – and the non-call on his pass interference against Julio Jones at the end will elicit all kinds of chatter this week.

But that’s all for drama queens and grumpy losers. They’ll get over it and “chill,” just like Sherman did.

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Neal looked like a Seahawk, which is why Chancellor trained him

atlanta-logoIn the lead-up to the NFL draft last spring, Florida safety Keanu Neal looked like the kind of player the Seahawks might consider late in the first round.

He had a lot of similarities to Kam Chancellor and seemed like he could be the formerly disgruntled Pro Bowl safety’s heir apparent.

As it turned out, the Seahawks had no shot at Neal — even if they would have considered taking a defensive back so high. Atlanta drafted him instead, at pick 17 — obviously Dan Quinn’s move to find his own Chancellor.

The interesting twist in this is that Chancellor actually reached out to Neal, despite not knowing him, and offered to teach the rookie how to train NFL style.

“He was a bit surprised,” Chancellor said of the text he sent the rookie. “He just was very thankful and grateful that I reached out to him. I said a few things to him, talked to him and asked him if he wanted to come train with me in the offseason. He was just a grateful kid.”

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After rough first month, O-line gets a few easier matchups

atlanta-logoOne of the concerning themes of the first month for the Seahawks was the crazy caliber of defensive lines they had to face.

Poor performance by their reconfigured offensive line against the Dolphins, Rams and Jets was the only thing that stood between the Hawks and a 4-0 record.

As expected, the new unit got whipped in the first two games — except for that final winning drive against Miami.

But, the good news is the unit did a better-than-expected job vs. the Jets — allowing Russell Wilson, Jimmy Graham and company to score some points and the Hawks to enter their bye at 3-1.

Now, with the line’s tough start over, the unit has a fairly friendly three-game stretch before it gets difficult again. And the quintet should get better by the week now that Germain Ifedi is back.

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